A Turkish woman has been refused a life-saving heart transplant operation by two German hospitals on the grounds that she could not speak a word of German, a German-Turk foundation said Monday.
Fatma Elaldi, 56, who has been living in Germany since 1979 and is in dire need of a new heart, was turned away from hospitals in Bad Oeynhausen and Cologne because she would not be able to follow doctors' recommendations, the German-Turkish Health Foundation said.
A spokeswoman at Bad Oeynhausen hospital, Petra Mellwig, confirmed the woman had failed the stringent entry conditions to Germany's organ waiting list, which is also barred to drug-users and alcoholics due to their poor survival chances.
She said Elaldi would be unable to deliver the vital patient "cooperation" needed for the success of the operation, and in case of complications would be unable to communicate with the hospital.
The spokeswoman added that due to the lack of donors, the selection of candidates had to be strict.
However the German-Turkish Health Foundation said the patient had finally made it onto a waiting list of a hospital in Muenster. Her daughter, a perfect German speaker, had offered to act as interpreter -- GIESSEN, Germany (AFP)
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